In a bid to provide medicines to poor patients free of cost at all Government hospitals, the State Government had launched the ‘Niramaya’ Yojana on May 1. Excise Minister Dr Damodar Rout had inaugurated the new Government medicine store under the scheme on the same day in Dhenkanal district headquarters hospital.
All Government doctors are also accordingly instructed to prescribe medicines which are available at the hospitals. But only after eleven days of launching of the Niramaya Yojana, most of the patients were seen with prescriptions of Dhenkanal Rogi Kalyan Samiti searching medicines at private druggists. One Barkat Alli said he had gone to Dhenkanal headquarters hospital for treatment of his visual problem. One lady doctor prescribed him two medicines. When Alli wanted to fetch the medicines from hospital store, the store keepers laughed and asked him to purchase the medicines from private stores.
Similarly one lady patient, who was reluctant to reveal her name, alleged that she had gone to the same hospital for treatment. However, the medicines prescribed there were only to be found from private druggist. When Chief District Medial Officer of Dhenkanal Dr Sangram Kishore Das was contacted over telephone, he told to The Pioneer he was in a meeting in Bhubaneswar. He, however, said to look into the matter after returning Dhenkanal.
Former Congress Minister Nabin Chandra Narayandas reacting on the issue said the Niramaya Yojana is simply a publicity stunt of the ruling party to fetch votes. If the Government is so sincere to provide better medical services to the poor, then why it is not filling the vacant doctor posts, he asked.